How much ns looks like an enhanced gloom (q2 mod)

SwitenSwiten Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 4707Members
I've been looking at this mod for a few hours and I realized how similiar NS is compared to gloom. Gloom has been around for about 4 years. (4 year aniversary of beta release on November 20.) The concept of the game is Aliens vs Marines/Humans fighting each other. Each team starts with spawns, (Humans have teleporters and Aliens have Eggs)
One team wins by destroying all the other team's spawns and killing remaining players. Each team has a choice to have a building unit, these units can build defence and extra spawns. Some defences were Turrets, Spikers, Obsticles, Laser Trip-mines etc.

I was just wondering how original Natural Selection is and how (if any) many ideas were used from Gloom.
Gloom
<a href="http://www.planetgloom.com" target="_blank">gloom</a>

Comments

  • GloomerGrimGloomerGrim Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 4729Members
    no kidding, gloom was*correction* is a lot of fun. NS improves on the graphics but i like the gameplay of gloom a bit better
  • Relic25Relic25 Pixel Punk Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 39Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Interesting, given that no one but the devs and PTs have any idea what the gameplay of NS is really like.  No one else has played the game long enough (especially given its current resource problem) to know that.
  • TycowTycow Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 1934Members
    More importantly, who cares. NS is a great mod, as I'm sure gloom was. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
  • perjperj Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 3093Members
    What a ridiculous answer that is, it doesnt take more than a few hours to learn any game and get a good idea of how it works and how much you like it.

    To say the devs are the only ones who have enough experience to critique their own work is the stupidest thing I've heard, and reaks of bad PR and an inability to take criticisms.

    Gloom is great because you get your points and advancements through personal gain - fighting and killing your enemies. Thats the only way for you to advance to stronger things. Thats why I like it. The early game in NS is pretty boring in my opinion because of the route they took.

    I really enjoyed Gloom, it was and will continue to be one of the greatest mods, Im sorry it didnt get as much popularity as it deserved. It still got quite alot of recognition though
  • BillBill Join Date: 2002-08-08 Member: 1108Members
    It's been out for 2 days, they've been playing it for months now.  People are still learning new strategies for CS and it's been out for years, to say that people have a complete understanding of a game as complex as Natural-Selection(which is completely unlike any other game I've ever played) 2 days into it's release to put it mildly, is retarded.  He has a right ot be upset when they've devoted hours upon hours of their lives to bringing you a free game and then you ##### about basically everything before you have a complete understanding of how it even works and are playing with more expierenced players.
  • perjperj Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 3093Members
    How many testers do you think they had? 30? That sounds like a fair guess


    According to ASE, theres currently 2255 people playing NS. How long do you think it would take us to accumulate the same amount of time playing the game as they have?

    Are we exempt from pointing out things we think is wrong from the game because our 30 hours played timer has yet to go off, immediately giving us a deeper and more thorough idea of how the game works?

    Its not that complex buddy. I mean for your average retard Counterstriker sure it is, but it isn't rocket science, and people arent being given credit for their ability to adapt and learn how to play a game.

    I'll be the first to admit alot of the things posted arent necessary wrong with the game but the player, but to lump everyone in the category of "you dont know whats right for our mod, only we do" is just plain ####### wrong.
  • BillBill Join Date: 2002-08-08 Member: 1108Members
    It is complex, it's got a steeper learning curve than your average game does regardless of what you say.  

    Between learning to use the commander, learning how to affectively use each class on the aliens and figuring out which abilties go best with which aliens, learning the maps, learning to follow orders on the marines, and learning to effectively use the aliens weapons, it's pretty silly to say this game isn't complex.  

    Then you have to take in the fact that it's an online game, so you have to rely on the skill and ability to adjust not only on yourself but on others learning to play the game as well, and many people have no idea what they're doing right now.   This alone affects the current gameplay greatly.  

    This isn't the specialist, you don't pop into a server, pick a big gun that goes boom, then run around and shoot stuff.  Personally, i think the gameplay is complex, but I'm also having a blast.  So no major complaints here.

    [edited to make more coherant--sorry i'm tired and lazy.]
  • SuperMunchkinSuperMunchkin Join Date: 2002-09-28 Member: 1364Members
    You talk about NS being like gloom, then it is said that gloom differs because you get points for your own PERSONAL killing score.  Well, there lies the big dramatic difference.  NS is designed for.. *GASP* teamwork!  The resource nodes create a whole new aspect of play, where your ability to upgrade relies on how well you AND your team are at keeping resources under control.  

    This is a lot more complex than "Give me a gun, lets kill something."  Apparently you just can't see past the transparent curtain hiding the truth.
  • GreedoGreedo Bounty Hunter Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 37Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    All in all, we had over 100 playtesters.  Individually, about 30 of us have between 250 and 1000 hours of playing experience.  About 50 of us have been playtesting NS since April.  Even back then, in April, when the game was quite a lot less complex, it took most of us about 2 to 3 weeks to completely learn the alien gameplay dynamics.  Granted, we were only playing on weekends then, but that's still a lot of time.  And the game is so much more now than it was then.

    To say that NS is simple to learn is a complete understatement.  If it were easy to learn, we wouldn't have any complaints about balance except for the possible minor tweak, because everyone would be playing like the playtesters, who have months of experience with the game, and who know what works and what doesn't.

    You can voice your opinions about the mod now, go right ahead.  But, as far as I'm concerned, once everyone finally gets around to figuring out how the aliens work, 95% of the 'balance' claims will vanish.
  • longshot007longshot007 Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2602Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--Greedo386+Nov. 02 2002,02:45--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (Greedo386 @ Nov. 02 2002,02:45)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    i hate how hives go in cetain spots i liked in gloom were there was strategy in base placement. This game just doesnt cut it. its not complex its made overly confusing so it looks complex. there is no strategy there are no 'alien dynamics'. Its horribly unbalanced. I was hoping this would be a new gloom. oh well. i can live with Q2 graphics.

    This is realy a overly complicated gloom clone.

    and *gasp* gloom has more teamwork than this ever will.
  • BillBill Join Date: 2002-08-08 Member: 1108Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--longshot007+Nov. 02 2002,04<!--emo&:0--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'><!--endemo-->0--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (longshot007 @ Nov. 02 2002,04<!--emo&:0--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':0'><!--endemo-->0)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->i hate how hives go in cetain spots i liked in gloom were there was strategy in base placement. This game just doesnt cut it. its not complex its made overly confusing so it looks complex. there is no strategy there are no 'alien dynamics'. Its horribly unbalanced. I was hoping this would be a new gloom. oh well. i can live with Q2 graphics.

    This is realy a overly complicated gloom clone.

    and *gasp* gloom has more teamwork than this ever will.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    And this man leaps far beyond the fine line of constructive criticism vs. retarded ravings.
  • longshot007longshot007 Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2602Members
    wow i state something and get called an idiot for it. I'll admit my grammar isnt the best but my post is completely valid if you dont like it to bad. go on thinking that this mod is completely original when almost everything is taken from gloom
  • GreedoGreedo Bounty Hunter Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 37Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    <!--QuoteBegin--longshot007+Nov. 02 2002,01:26--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (longshot007 @ Nov. 02 2002,01:26)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->go on thinking that this mod is completely original when almost everything is taken from gloom<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    No one ever said it was <i>completely</i> original.  And 'almost everything is taken from gloom'?  I've never played Gloom, I don't even have Q2, but I will say that unless you provide some proof to back that statement, I will not believe it.
  • BillBill Join Date: 2002-08-08 Member: 1108Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--longshot007+Nov. 02 2002,04:26--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (longshot007 @ Nov. 02 2002,04:26)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->wow i state something and get called an idiot for it. I'll admit my grammar isnt the best but my post is completely valid if you dont like it to bad. go on thinking that this mod is completely original when almost everything is taken from gloom<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Maybe your own guilty conscience is getting to you but I never called you an idiot.  If you don't like a mod and think that's a completely unoriginal rip off of Gloom then why bother coming to the game's messageboard instead of just going and playing Gloom?  No one ever said you had to like this mod, and I think it's pretty unlikely that they're going to change the entire games dynamics because one guy think it's an overly complicated Gloom.  

    To recap, you came to the <b>Natural-Selection</b> forums to state nothing other than you do not enjoy the mod, you pointed out NO actual bugs, and you act <b>offended</b> because the game they made for free isn't the exact way you want it to  be.   There is a very simple cure to this, and it doesn't involve wasting 10 minutes of your life coming to a game you don't even enjoys forum's:

    <b>Simply don't play the game</b>

    Play Gloom.  You won't be missed.
  • GnuBeestGnuBeest Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5044Members
    No, you didn't call him an idiot, you called him a retard, and I concur.  <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->

    He's probably one of those who joins a server with eight marines and four aliens, runs to the marine team, and then complains about balance.

    If NS is such a rip-off of Gloom, you'd think he'd like it more.  Gloom never had a couple of hundred servers and several thousand players EVER, much less a day after release.  Constructive criticism is great, but juvenile raving is just plain pointless.  I agree that NS isn't for everyone, but he acts as if he's being forced to play it.
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